comparisons

1. COMPARISONS WITH ADVERBS
Adverbs : not, almost, twice, three times, half, one-third, etc.
Examples:
1. John is not as hard-working as his brother.
(John no es tan trabajador como su hermano)
2. Joana is almost as tall as her mother.
(Joana está casi igual de alta que su mamá)
3. Peter’s sister is twice as old as I am.
(La hermana de Peter me duplica la edad)
4. A millimeter is one-tenth as long as a centimeter.
(Un milímetro es la décima parte de un centímetro)
5. Carlos is nearly as clever as his uncle.
(Carlos es casi tan listo como su tío)
6. The tres are not as tall as the house.
(Los árboles no están tan altos como la casa)
NEARLY vs ALMOST
La principal diferencia entre NEARLY y ALMOST está en su uso.
NEARLY se utiliza siempre para hablar de progreso y cantidades: distancia, tiempo,
medidas. ALMOST también, pero solo ALMOST puede utilizarse para expresar
SIMILITUD y CONCEPTOS NO DEFINIDOS.
Ejemplo:
-She's ALMOST/NEARLY like her aunt. Nota: similitud.
-Ella es CASI como su tía.
-His face has a strange gesture.
It ALMOST/NEARLY expresses dissatisfaction
Nota:concepto no definido.
-Su cara tiene un gestor extraño. Casi expresa disatisfacción.

2. EXERCISE 2:
1. The following table gives the ages of five children:
Child’s Name Age (years)
Ruth 18
Angela 12
Tom 6
May 3
Joe 1
Write sentences comparing the ages of the children in each of the pairs indicated below. Use
expressions such as:
twice, three times, four times, five times, one-half, one-third and one-quarter.
For example:
Ruth and Tom
Ruth is three times as old as Tom.
Angela and Tom
Angela is twice as old as Tom
May and Angela
May is one-quarter as old as Angela.
1. Angela and May
2. Tom and May
3. Tom and Angela
4. Ruth and May
5. Tom and Ruth
6. Tom and Joe
7. May and Tom
8. Angela and Joe
9. Joe and May
10.May and Joe

3. COMPARISONS COMBINED WITH A NOUN
1. Gail is as strong a swimmer as Beth.
2. Mabel is as clever an administrator as Robin.
3. The girls are as good students as the boys.
4. Robert is as fine a man as his father.
5. Susan is as good an instrutor as her colleague.
EXERCISE 3:
Rewrite each of the following sentences as a comparison, using the word or words given in
brackets as the second part of the comparison. For example:
He has a heavy workload. (Tom)
He has as heavy a workload as Tom.
She was a good actress. (her cousin)
She was as good an actress as her cousin.
They are talented musicians. (their parents)
They are as talented musicians as their parents.
1. She is a skilled carpenter. (her father)
2. Terry is an efficient manager. (Kay)
3. They are wonderful performers. (their predecessors)
4. He won a prestigious prize. (his competitor)
5. The white hens are good layers. (the brown ones)
6. Rupert is an able administrator. (his boss)
7. She is carrying a heavy parcel. (you)
8. He is a brilliant engineer. (we had been told)
9. She found an important clue. (anyone)
10.They are experienced directors. (one could wish)

4. The use of ellipsis
The construction as followed by an adjective, followed by as, can also be combined with
longer phrases and clauses, as illustrated in the following examples.
Example:
New York is as distant from San Francisco as Boston is from London.
Music is as important to Cora as literature is to her brother.
In the first example, the distance of New York from San Francisco is being compared to the
distance of Boston from London. In the second example, the importance of music to Cora is
being compared to the importance of literature to her brother.
The preceding examples illustrate the use of ellipsis. The sentences could also be
written as follows. The words which would usually be omitted are enclosed in square
brackets.
• New York is as distant from San Francisco as Boston is [distant] from London.
Music is as important to Cora as literature is [important] to her brother.
In such sentences, the adjective in the second part of the sentence is usually omitted, in order
to make the sentence less awkward.
Ellipsis is also commonly used following a noun representing the second thing being
compared. For instance, in the following sentences, the final verbs are omitted.
Example:
He is as tall as his brother.
I am as good a swimmer as her sisters.
These sentences could also be written:
e.g. He is as tall as his brother is.
I am as good a swimmer as her sisters are.
In informal English, the final verb is usually not omitted following a personal pronoun
representing the second thing being compared.

5. Example:
I am as tall as he is.
She is as good a swimmer as I am.
However, in formal English, the final verb following a personal pronoun representing the
second thing being compared is sometimes omitted.
Example:
I am as tall as he.
She is as good a swimmer as I.
The use of the subjective case
As shown above, when a personal pronoun is used in a comparison to represent the second
thing being compared, the subjective case of the pronoun should be used. The reason for this
is that the pronoun is the subject of a verb, even when the verb is omitted by means of
ellipsis.
In informal English, the objective case of such personal pronouns is sometimes used.
e.g. I am as tall as him.
She is as good as swimmer as me.
However, this use of the objective case is considered to be grammatically incorrect.

6. EXERCISE 4:
Complete each of the following sentences by filling in the blank with the subjective
case of the personal pronoun indicated in brackets, followed by the form of the Simple
Present of the verb to be which agrees with the pronoun.
For example:
I am as clever as _____. (he, him)
I am as clever as he is.
They are as curious as ______. (us, we)
They are as curious as we are.
1. We are as proud as _____________. (they, them)
2. Henrietta is as silly as _____________. (your, you)
3. They are as confident as _____________. (her, she)
4. Amanda is as surprised as _____________. (I, me)
5. I am not as patient as ___________. (he, him)
6. Ray is as old as _____________. (them, they)
7. Dan is as eager to attend the concert as _____________. (we, us)
8. You are as quick-witted as _____________. (she, her)
9. She is almost as shy as _____________. (him, he)
10.Leonora is just as beautiful as _____________. (me, I)

7. Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives which use endings
Many English adjectives follow the model of French adjectives. These adjectives are combined
with adverbs in order to express different types of comparison. In the following examples, the
adjectives careful and excitable are combined with the adverbs more and most.
e.g. She is more careful than I am.
He is the most excitable boy in the class.
However, in general, the shortest and most commonly used English adjectives follow the
model of languages such as German. These adjectives use endings in order to express
different types of comparison.
e.g. She is taller than I am.
He is the oldest boy in the class.
The adjectives which use endings in order to express different types of comparison include
most one-syllable adjectives, and two-syllable adjectives ending in y. For example:
brave
tall
easy
happy
In the above examples, brave and tall are one-syllable adjectives, while easy and happy are
two-syllable adjectives ending in y.
A few other two-syllable adjectives are also sometimes used with endings. For example:
able
simple
clever
quiet
narrow
shallow
It should be noted that one-syllable past participles used as adjectives are usually not used
with endings.

8. EXERCISE 5:
Paying attention to the correct spelling, complete the following sentences by filling in the
blanks with the comparative forms of the adjectives shown in brackets.
For example:
This room is ______ than that one. (warm)
This room is warmer than that one.
This sand is _____ than that sand. (fine)
This sand is finer than that sand.
My towel is _____ than yours. (dry)
My towel is drier than yours.
The grass is ______ than it was yesterday. (wet)
The grass is wetter than it was yesterday.
There are _____ people here than I expected. (few)
There are fewer people here than I expected.
Her room is ______ than mine. (neat)
Her room is neater than mine.
1. The village is ____________ than the city. (pretty)
2. This building is ____________ than the one next to it. (big)
3. Your watch is ____________ than mine. (slow)
4. Her roses smell ____________ than ours. (sweet)
5. The corner store is ____________ than the supermarket. (close)
6. The temperature is ____________ today than it was yesterday. (high)
7. His cat is ____________ than yours. (fat)
8. We arrived ____________ than she had expected. (soon)
9. It is ____________ on this side of the valley. (sunny)
10.She is _____________ than her sister. (young)
11.The afternoon is usually ____________ than the morning. (hot)
12.He is ____________ than you are. (weak)
13.The table is ____________ at this end. (low)
14.This book is _____________ than that one. (thin)
15.The bag is _____________ than the suitcase. (heavy)

9. Irregular adjectives
A few of the adjectives which are used with endings have irregular comparative forms. The
comparative forms of the irregular English adjectives are as follows.
Positive Form Comparative Form
bad worse
far farther or further
good better
little less
many more
much more
As shown above, the adjective far has two comparative forms. The distinction is sometimes
made that farther is used to refer to physical distances, while further is used to refer to
figurative distances.
For example:
✓ The farther side of the river is more picturesque than this side.
✓ Nothing could have been further from my mind.
It should be noted that the adjectives many and much both have the same comparative
form, more.

10. EXERCISE 6:
Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the comparative forms of the
irregular adjectives given in brackets.
For example:
Pam is a ______ student than Roger. (good)
Pam is a better student than Roger.
His cough is _____ than yours. (bad)
His cough is worse than yours.
1. I have ___________ eggs than I need. (many)
2. The bread tastes even ___________ than the rolls. (good)
3. She does not want to travel ____________ than necessary. (far)
4. Alice drinks ___________ coffee than Jerry does. (little)
5. We have ___________ honey than we need. (much)
6. Things may be ___________ than you think. (bad)
7. Business is ____________ this year than it was last year. (good)
8. Alan has ___________ money than Ben. (little)
9. She has ___________ self-confidence than I do. (much)
10.The weather was ___________ yesterday than it is today. (bad)

11. The comparative form followed by Than
When used in comparisons, the comparative forms of adjectives are usually followed by the
word than. For instance, the way in which two things differ in some respect can be expressed
by using the comparative form of an adjective as a predicate adjective followed by than.
Example:
Paul is wiser than Greg.
The tree is taller than the house.
Driving a car is easier than riding a horse.
The first sentence indicates that Paul possesses greater wisdom than Greg.
The second sentence indicates that the tree possesses greater height than the house.
EXERCISE 7:
The following table gives the ages and heights of five children:
Child’s Name Age (years) Height (centimeters)
Nancy 16 150
Dick 15 160
Lorne 12 140
Sara 8 110
Barbara 7 115
Following the model of the examples, write sentences comparing the age or height of the
children in each of the following pairs.
For example:
Dick and Lorne (age)
Dick is older than Lorne.
Lorne and Dick. (height)
Lorne is shorter than Dick.
Sara and Dick (age)
Sara is younger than Dick.
Dick and Sara (height)
Dick is taller than Sara.
1. Nancy and Dick (age)
2. Dick and Nancy (height)
3. Nancy and Lorne (age)
4. Lorne and Nancy (height)
5. Sara and Lorne (age)
6. Lorne and Sara (height)
7. Sara and Barbara (age)
8. Sara and Barbara (height)
9. Barbara and Sara (age)
10.Barbara and Sara (height)

12. The comparative form followed by a noun, followed by Than
The comparative form of an adjective followed by than can also be combined with a noun.
Example:
✓ She is a better cook than her sister.
✓ Patrick has wiser ideas than they do.
✓ Kate is a braver person than you are.
✓ Steel is a tronger material than iron.
✓ Matthew has a busier Schedule than I do.
It should be noted that this position of a or an is in contrast to the word order found in
the construction with as.
For instance, in the following examples, the adjectives are underlined and the indefinite
article a is printed in bold type.
➢ Example:
Kate is as brave a person as Robin.
Kate is a braver person than Robin.

13. EXERCISE 8:
Rewrite the following sentences as comparisons, using the comparative form of the
adjective, and the word than.
For each sentence, use the word or words given in brackets as the second part of the
comparison.
For example:
Tracy is a fast worker. (I am)
Tracy is a faster worker than I am.
He is a kind person. (his brother is)
He is a kinder person than his brother is.
Bob is a good student. (Tom)
Bob is a better student than Tom.
1. She is a fine musician. (her cousin is)
2. He has a strong voice. (he used to have)
3. This chair has short legs. (that one does)
4. We are having a hot summer. (you are)
5. She is a good doctor. (her friend is)
6. He has a big book. (you do)
7. They have new boots. (we do)
8. He took an early train. (I did)
9. She is a bad typist. (her colleague is)
10. We order a sweet dessert. (Susan did)

14. The use of the subjective case
In comparisons using than, personal pronouns following than should be in the subjective
case.
Example:
I am taller than he is.
She is a better student than I am.
In formal English, the final verb of such sentences is sometimes omitted.
Example:
I am taller than he.
She is a better student than I.
In informal English, the objective case of a personal pronoun is often used after than.
Example:
I am taller than him.
She is a better student than me.
However, this use of the objective case is considered to be grammatically
incorrect.

15. Complete each of the following sentences by filling in the blank with the subjective case of
the personal pronoun indicated in brackets, followed by the form of the Simple Present of the
verb to be which agrees with the pronoun.
For example:
She is luckier than ____. (I, me)
She is luckier than I am.
We are faster than ________. (them, they)
We are faster than they are.
1. She is older than _____________. (we, us)
2. They are slower than _____________. (him, he)
3. He is fatter than _____________. (me, I)
4. You are stronger than _____________. (they, them)
5. We are younger than _____________. (her, she)
6. I am taller than ____________. (he, him)
7. She is shorter than ____________. (I, me)
8. He is happier than _____________. (them, they)
9. They are no better than . (us, we)
10.I am thinner than _____________.(she, her)
Paying attention to the correct spelling, complete the following sentences by filling in the
blanks with the superlative forms of the adjectives shown in brackets.
For example:
He is the _______ runner on the team. (fast)
He is the fastest runner on the team.
Have you heard the ______ news? (late)
Have you heard the latest news?
They are the _______ people I know. (lazy)
They are the laziest people I know.
This is the _______ part of the day. (hot)
This is the hottest part of the day.
The black horse was the _______ horse in the race. (slow)
The black horse was the slowest horse in the race.

16. She is the _______ student in the class. (poor)
She is the poorest student in the class.
1. This is the _____________ highway in the country. (wide)
2. That was the _____________ sunset I have ever seen. (red)
3. Yesterday was the _____________ day of the year. (cold)
4. This is the _____________ way to do it. (easy)
5. The kitchen is the _____________ room in the house. (clean)
6. This is the _____________ model currently available. (new)
7. This is the _____________ cake I have ever eaten. (sweet)
8. The third act is the _____________ part of the play. (sad)
9. The ____________ temperature on record was minus forty degrees. (low)
10.That is probably the _____________ thing to do. (wise)
11.This is the ____________ route into town. (short)
12.She is the _____________ girl I know. (lucky)
Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with the superlative forms of the
irregular adjectives shown in brackets.
For example:
Pam is the ____ student in the class. (good)
Pam is the best student in the class.
That is the _____ essay I have ever read. (bad)
That is the worst essay I have ever read.
1. This is the ____________ we have ever traveled in one day. (far)
2. Their farm has produced the _____________ tomatoes. (many)
3. Our strawberries have the _____________ flavor. (good)
4. He ate the _____________ jam. (little)
5. That is the _____________ news I have heard yet. (bad)
6. She has the ______________ cheese. (much)
7. They have eaten the _____________ pancakes. (many)
8. That is the ____________ thing that could happen. (bad)
9. We have used the _____________ honey. (much)
10.That is the _____________ suggestion we have heard yet. (good)
11.This is the _____________ stretch of road. (bad)
12.They produced the _____________ butter this year. (little)

17. Rewrite each of the following sentences, changing the positive form of the adjective to the
superlative form, and using the definite article the. Use the words given in brackets as the
second part of the comparison.
For example:
This is a cold room. (in the house)
This is the coldest room in the house.
That is a good example. (he could find)
That is the best example he could find.
1. This is an old house. (on the street)
2. That is a large store. (in the city)
3. This is a cool evening. (we have had this week)
4. He is a kind man. (I know)
5. This is a fine view. (in the area)
6. That is a new building. (in town)
7. This is a dusty road. (I have ever walked along)
8. That was a bad storm. (we have had for ten years)
9. This is a long river. (in the country)
10.That is a funny story. (you have ever told)